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Use Social Media to Help Train New Hires Effectively

Some companies tap into Facebook for this purpose, while others turn to a vendor to create an internal, customized portal with “a Facebook feel,” Vitale explains. Onboarding portals provide new hires with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with management and various departments before their first day and afterwards. This is particularly helpful in decentralized organizations, […]

Retirement Benefits 2014—What’s Really Happening?

Please participate in our brief survey and see how what you are doing stacks up against what other successful companies are doing. We’ll get answers to these questions and more: What’s your company’s 401k match level? What changes are you making with pensions and 401(k) plans? What types of retirement/savings/investment plans do you offer? How […]

Accommodating Mental Illness

By Alix Herber and Hadiya Roderique In Canada, employers have a duty to accommodate individuals suffering from a disability to the level of undue hardship. In the case of an employee with a physical disability, it often can be relatively straightforward to identify accommodations that can be implemented. In contrast, the accommodation of mental illness […]

Disabled Employees: New Ruling OKs Layoff Of Worker Who Can’t Meet Performance Standards; Lawsuit Prevention Tips

Suppose your business has taken a downturn and you decide to implement a reduction in force. Can you lay off a person whose work performance has slipped due to a condition that is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? A new federal Court of Appeal opinion says yes, and the ruling also has […]

Business Strategy: Is Yours the Right One?

I’ve been thinking and reading a lot about strategic planning lately. I guess when all hell is breaking loose, as it has been for many businesses of late, it becomes real easy to question the strategic direction of the company. When sales are falling or profits are eroding, when new ventures are struggling to gain […]

Court’s decision solidifies NLRB’s ‘quickie’ election rule

A June 10 ruling by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals dealt a blow to employers hoping to escape the constraints of the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) rule speeding up union representation elections. The Associated Builders and Contractors of Texas and the National Federation of Independent Business filed the challenge to what many […]

Beating the Heat

Last week, basketball royalty and media-superstar LeBron James was forced to make an early exit from Game 1 of the NBA Finals due to severe leg cramps. The King’s cramps were due in large part to the malfunctioning air-conditioning system at the AT&T Center, home of the San Antonio Spurs. Combined with the Texas summer […]

Disability and Group Insurance Plans? How Do You Rate?

No one plans on becoming disabled. But accidents and illnesses happen, and they can confine workers to bed for weeks … or longer. A serious disability takes away more than workers’ earnings—it can take away their sense of control over their own lives. Do your employees understand the importance of ensuring that they receive a […]

EBSA: Deficient Work Tied to Auditors’ Size, Experience

Hiring an auditor with limited experience auditing benefit plans, or experience auditing only small plans … may cost plan sponsors. That conclusion can be drawn from a new assessment by DOL’s Employee Benefits Security Administration of audit quality after reviewing annual reports from 400 sample retirement plans of various sizes. The agency found a nearly […]